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Why have a health care directive?

Anne Denny was moved to start her own company to help people manage end-of-life issues after her mother's long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

It's important that people plan for making end-of-life decisions by making health care directives, says Denny. Health care directives spell out a person's wishes for care should he or she become unable to communicate.

These documents are sometimes referred to as living wills, but Denny says that term isn't comprehensive enough to describe all a directive should do, including designating the person who would make final decisions on treatments.